When did you last get formal recognition for your professional practice in teaching and learning? What about being part of a global community that shares your enthusiasm for doing great work in higher education? If you’re looking for more structure and focus for your professional development this year, you’re in the right place.
The UTS Educational Fellowship Program (UTS-EFP) will be available soon to all UTS academic and professional staff involved in the teaching and support of high quality learning. The program offers a supported pathway towards international recognition of professional, effective and inclusive teaching, and as we prepare for that, we’re sharing stories from those in the UTS community who have been through the Fellowship process, so you can see what it’s all about.
In this blog we hear from Dr Amanda Lizier, Senior Lecturer in the Education Portfolio’s Teaching Learning and Curriculum Unit. Amanda begin the application process in a previous role as Teaching and Learning Coordinator in the School of International Studies and Education, and was granted Senior Fellowship in 2024.
Q1. Why did you apply for Fellowship?
I was invited to apply as part of a first group who would then support others coming through the process. It often felt to me like the teaching and learning work I had been doing over a long period of time was less valued or recognised, and having this international recognition would be a positive step.
Q2. How did you find the process of putting your application together?
Not too bad. I was in a very busy role at the time and it was still manageable. The whole process was a great opportunity to reflect on my work and what I had achieved over the preceding years. I had been worried about the workload but the process that Alisa Percy took us through with information sessions and writing groups was key to keeping me on track.
Q3. What kinds of scholarship, research or other evidence-informed approaches did you draw on?
I use practice approaches in my own teaching and research work and so drew on these in my application, for example Green’s (2009) work on curriculum as practice, Communities of Practice (Lave and Wenger, 1991; Lave, 2019) and work I’ve done in leadership that has informed my practice, particularly around middle leading (Grootenboer, Edwards-Groves and Rönnerman, 2015). I also found the assessment literature relevant in my application, such as sustainable assessment (Boud, 2000; Boud & Soler, 2016), authentic assessment (Ajjawi et al., 2023), and assessment for distinctiveness (Jorre de St Jorre, Boud, & Johnson, 2021).
Q4. What kind of ‘evidence’ did you provide that showed the impact of your practice?
One example I used was around mentoring and developing teachers as part of being a Subject Coordinator and Course Director over a number of years. I also used an example of working on redesigning a degree as one of my main case studies as well as a large project I did that examined leadership within a faculty, that also examined the role of Course Directors and their professional learning needs.
Q5. What advice can you share with others starting the Fellowship process?
Take up opportunities to work with a mentor and/or be part of a writing group as part of the support provided by UTS. I managed to write much of my application, or at least make a good start, in our Friday writing sessions. The group also supported each other with feedback which was invaluable. I also found that planning out the examples I wanted to use made the whole process much easier to manage, so when I sat down to actually write the application, I knew what I wanted to write about. I really enjoyed the process and would definitely recommend it!
Is Fellowship for you? Find out more…
If you’re curious to know more about this internationally-recognised fellowship program, there’s a new podcast series from Advance HE to talk you through the basics:
- Fellowship to enhance teaching and learning (25 mins) introduces Advance HE’s Fellowship team to talk about the value and impact of Fellowship for higher education professionals.
- Introduction to Senior Fellowship (42 mins) includes insights into the application process, tips for prospective applicants and the value of Senior Fellowship for your career and professional development.
There are plenty of UTS resources to explore too. The UTS Educational Fellowship Program Sharepoint site has updated information, applicant handbooks, and key dates for applications. If you’re ready for the next level of detail, use the Advance HE Fellowship Category Tool to identify the closest match for your current practice, then explore our Fellowship Readiness Grid for Associate Fellow (AFHEA), Fellow (FHEA) or Senior Fellow (SFHEA). It’s never too early to start gathering evidence and connecting your practice to the scholarship that supports it!
If you have questions about Fellowship, you can contact us via uts-efp@uts.edu.au. Keep an eye out for program registrations later this year – we can’t wait to welcome you to the UTS Educational Fellowship community.